Membership (as of August 5, 2005, not including pending applications): PRCA-Birmingham ended the 2003-2004 year with 57 members. In 2004-2005, the chapter welcomed 18 new members, exceeding the goal of 10 new members. As of August 5, including renewals and new members, PRCA-B has a total of 67 members.

The chapter hosted a membership social in December at the home of Joy Carter, APR.

Treasury: The chapter is in good financial standing. In the fall, the chapter elected to help offset the shortfall in state conference revenues by contributing about $1,500 to the conference. Due to this, the chapter anticipated a net loss in projected profits for the year. However, the chapter was able to make good use of its resources, and as of Aug. 23, was projecting a net loss of only $204 for the 2004-2005 fiscal year. The chapter’s total assets are $3,999.

Programs: Total attendance for the year at monthly chapter meetings was 272. The chapter hosted lunch meetings with topics and locations including:

• “Preview of PRCA State Conference” presented by PRCA-B Conference Committee at the World Business Center

• “Hosting your next special event” presented by the catering staff of The Restaurant at Culinard

• “Communicating your message to the public: developing a comprehensive communications strategy” presented by Sean Doyle of FitzMartin, Inc. at the Birmingham Museum of Art

• “TV partnerships and sponsorships” presented by Terese Messick of NBC13 at the Birmingham Museum of Art

• “Accreditation: what’s it to you?” presented by Ron Council, APR at the McWane Center

• “Getting your story in ‘The News’” presented by Charles McCauley of The Birmingham News at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute

• “Diversifying your PR strategy: how to reach the Hispanic community” presented by Carlos Urdaneta of Spanish Communicators Inc. at the Birmingham Zoo

• “Web-based public relations strategies” presented by Tammy Glazkov and Deborah Lucas of UAB at the Bruno Conference Center

• “2005 Medallion Awards Call for Entries” presented by PRCA-B at Legion Field

• “Big Results, Little Budgets” presented by John Deveney, ABC, APR, of Deveney Communications; Bobbie Knight of Alabama Power and Keith Jordan of American Red Cross at Energen Plaza

The chapter co-hosted meetings with the Internet Professionals Society of Alabama (IPSA) in April and the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) in July and the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) in August.

Professional Development: In June, the chapter hosted a professional development workshop called “Big Results, Little Budgets: Campaigns on a Budget” featuring John Deveney, ABC, APR, of the New Orleans-based Deveney Communications. Approximately 40 members and guests were in attendance. Post-event surveys showed the workshop filled member needs, and the event brought in more than $1,400 in income, making it one of the best-received events the chapter has ever sponsored.

Accreditation: Several members of the Birmingham chapter attended the state’s Accreditation JumpStart workshop in Montgomery in March. Local candidates participated in a six-week preparation course facilitated by Joy Carter, APR; Ron Council, APR and Adam Kelley, APR.

Communications: The chapter used e-mail newsletters and its Web site (www.prca-b.com) to communicate with members throughout the year.

The chapter introduced a service in May for members called SOS. Members looking for advice or wanting feedback from other members can submit their SOS through the chapter’s Web site (www.prcab.com/sos/htm ). The request is then routed to members via e-mail. To date, one SOS has been submitted, and it received four responses.

Projects: PRCA-Birmingham participated in the “Books on Tape” pilot program of the Children’s Literacy Guild. The program helps reading-age children with their reading assignments. By listening and reading along with a book that has been prerecorded, teachers have noticed significant improvements in students’ reading comprehension. The chapter recorded more than 100 books for the program.

PRCA-Birmingham prepared and served dinner for the families at Birmingham’s Ronald McDonald House in June.

Students: In addition to the money allocated for scholarships by the state organization, PRCABirmingham awarded additional scholarship money to the UAB PRCA student chapter. The students will use the money to pay for registration to attend the state conference in Huntsville this September.

PRCA State Conference: PRCA-Birmingham hosted the state’s annual conference in September 2004. The theme of the conference was “Where Ya Goin’?” More than 135 public relations professionals gathered in Birmingham for this event.

Awards: Two chapter members were recognized with awards for their professional achievements. Joy Carter, APR, was named Practitioner of the Year by PRCA-Birmingham. Helen Todd, APR, was named a Senior Practitioner by the Southern Public Relations Federation.

2004-2005 PRCA-B Officers:
Jody Seal, President
Nan Baldwin, VP Programs-Speakers
Jennifer Hatchett, VP Programs-Facilities
Jena Ogiba, VP Membership
Mary Head, VP Projects
Pamela Harris, VP Communications
Ron Council, APR, VP Accreditation/Professional Development
Dana McGough, Student Liaison
Adam Kelley, APR, Treasurer
Josh Till, Secretary
Erwin Grigorian, Member at Large
Melissa Snow-Clark, Member at Large
Helen Todd, APR, Immediate Past-President

PRCA-Birmingham ♦ P.O. Box 59545 ♦ Birmingham, AL 35259 ♦ www.prca-b.com